Eswatini Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini said in Taipei on Monday that his country remains committed to its 55-year diplomatic relations with Taiwan and is opposed to “any sort of bullying or aggression” against Taiwan.

Eswatini stands in solidarity with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in international forums, making “full advocacy for Taiwan to be admitted into the United Nations and its agencies” to share Taiwan’s knowledge and expertise on issues affecting the world, Dlamini said during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (???) at the Presidential Office.

Furthermore, Eswatini is “fully opposed to any sort of bullying or aggression by any country or state, as we believe people should maintain the freedom to choose how to be governed, and state sovereignty should be respected at all times,” he said, referring to China’s ongoing military and economic coercion of Taiwan.

“The people of Taiwan should be governed within Taiwan by a government they elect themselves in fair and free elections, with no external pressure,” said Dlamini, whose country has maintained unbroken diplomatic relations with Taiwan for 55 years.

The visiting prime minister also thanked the Taiwan government for its decades-long support of Eswatini, a landlocked country in southern Africa.

“The cordial ties have brought tangible outcomes to the development of the Kingdom of Eswatini,” especially its rural areas, he said.

President Tsai, meanwhile, welcomed Dlamini on his first visit to Taiwan since assuming office as prime minister in July 2021.

She also said that on her last visit to Eswatini in 2018, she was deeply impressed with “the majestic landscape of Africa and the warm welcome of the people of Eswatini.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, Taiwan and Eswatini supported each other by jointly manufacturing surgical face masks.

The two countries will continue to work closely, in both the private and public sectors, to deepen their ties, as they move toward the celebration of the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, Tsai said.

Dlamini arrived on a state visit to Taiwan on Sunday, with a delegation that includes Eswatini’s Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Lomvula Hlophe, who is his wife, Minister of Economic Planning and Development Tambo Gina, and Principal Secretary in that ministry Thabsile Mlangeni.

The delegation’s agenda includes meetings with Tsai, other senior government officials, and representatives of Taiwanese businesses that have investments in Eswatini, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), which did not disclose the length of the visit.

Eswatini is the only African state and one of 14 countries worldwide that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Formerly known as Swaziland, it has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel